Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fane unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches, and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. daily)

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STANDARD PRESEASON DISCLAIMER: It’s pointless to get too worked up about preseason football, because you never know which players will be playing and for how long and how hard anyone’s going to be trying.

On the other hand, it’s a lot tougher to find an easy storyline to the Washington Redskins’ 2010 Preseason than it was in 2009. Last year was “Redskins vs. the class of the AFC (plus the Jaguars).” This year, it’s “The annual matchup against the Ravens, games against two other nearby teams, and an unusually long preseason plane flight.” Which doesn’t exactly lend itself to John Facenda-style voice-overing.

There are plenty of things to be happy about with this schedule, though, especially for some specific groups of people:
People Who Like When Football Teams Travel: The flight to Arizona will be longer than anything scheduled for the 2010 regular season, and it’s the farthest the team has traveled for preseason since the trip to Osaka, Japan, in 2002. Oh, and it’s the longest Redskins preseason trip in the continental United States since 1992. (That 1992 Redskins preseason, incidentally, was INSANE from a travel standpoint: a “home” game in Orlando, a trip to New York, a “home” game against San Francisco in London, England, and at the Los Angeles Raiders. And that was followed by one true home preseason game, which the Redskins lost to Minnesota by a score of 30-0. No wonder Joe Gibbs was exhausted enough to retire after the season.)

Fans Of USC Quarterbacks: Games against the Jets and Cardinals mean chances to see former Trojan quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart. Plus other USC products like Dominique Byrd, Deuce Lutui, Chauncey Washington, and our own Fred Davis. That’s exciting for USC fans, right?

HBO- Loving Redskins Fans: The Jets are being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks this preseason. The Redskins are playing the Jets this preseason. Which means, basically, pay cable, here we come!

People Who Like Tradition: Whether you consider it a rivalry or not (HINT: It’s not), the annual game against Baltimore is certainly becoming a preseason tradition. This year’s matchup will be the fifth time in six years that the teams are meeting in the preseason, and they played in the regular season during the skip year. I like the tradition, but I’m disappointed that it’s a home game this year, because I miss out on a chance to get Bruce Lee’s Wings.

Colt Brennan Fans: Facing the Bills and Jets in the 2008 preseason, Brennan went 8-of-13 for 116 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions, and one come-from-behind last-minute touchdown pass that turned out to be the gamewinner against Brett Favre’s Jets. So facing those opponents again could help Brennan in his quest to regain (or surpass) his 2008 preseason form. (Of course, running back Marcus Mason combined for 25 for 135 yards in those two games and still got cut from the team. So, you know, there’s only so much that you can glean from positive preseason performances.)

People Who Hate Brett Favre: There will be no Brett Favre on the Jets — or anywhere else on the schedule — this preseason.

Old-School NFC East Fans: I always like it when the Redskins play the Cardinals, even in preseason. In the back of my head, they’ll always be a part of the NFC East. The least-interesting part, sure, but part nevertheless.

Most of all, though, this schedule should make All Football Fans happy, because it means that actual on-the-field action is getting closer and closer.